Sound Detection And Alert System For A Workspace

ABSTRACT

An alert system for generating a signal indicating at least one aspect of sound within a workspace environment, the system comprising at least a first sensor positioned one of within and proximate a workspace, the at least a first sensor sensing at least one aspect of sound generated within the workspace and generating a signal indicating the at least one aspect, a communication device located within the workspace, the communication device configured to generate a signal perceivable within the workspace and a processor receiving signals from the at least a first sensor and linked to the communication device, the processor programmed to perform the steps of identifying when the at least one aspect exceeds a threshold value and driving the communication device to indicate that the at least one aspect exceeds the threshold value.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/099,113 filed Apr. 14, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/911,654 filed Jun. 6, 2013. The contents ofthese applications are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forthin their entirety herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is sound monitoring and alerting system, andmore specifically a sound detection and alerting system for use in adesignated area such as a workspace, an office, a conference room, orthe like, for indicating when at least one characteristic of soundsexceeds a threshold level.

The office furniture industry is always evolving to meet the needs ofcustomers. Communication is an important vehicle for human interactionin personal and business settings to convey information. In a time whenelectronic communication bombards individuals, people are increasinglyreturning to interpersonal communication with colleagues, customers andfriends through face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, video chats, andother forms of direct verbal communication.

In many office settings, however, direct communication through one ofthe aforementioned methods is challenging for many reasons. Inparticular, offices, cubicles, conference rooms, and workspaces poseparticular challenges with respect to the transmission of sound. In manywork environments furniture artifacts are designed to stess, there is anopen space work place, wherein the physical boundaries between officesare non-existent, minimal, temporary, or only provide a partial boundarythat delineates individual workspace. In other instances, even whereboundaries such as walls are provided to separate workspaces, boundariesoften do not provide sufficient sound-proofing if the volume of aperson's voice within a space exceeds a threshold level.

Further, in many instances, individuals are unaware of the volume oftheir voices and the sound that is being transmitted to adjacent spaces.This lack of awareness causes many issues in the workplace. For example,high volume speech often disturbs or disrupts individuals in adjacent ornearby workspaces. As another example, information disclosed in privateor confidential conversations is not protected and may be inadvertentlydisclosed when people speak at high volume. As one other instance,conversations and/or work may be interrupted due to sound or noise fromconversations that may be taking place in adjacent workspaces.

Existing work places are often designed to attempt to overcome theaforementioned problems through the use of various tools. In particular,some workplaces construct walls or barriers to define enclosed privatespaces for workers. Such barriers typically extend from floor to ceilingand separate a workspace from adjacent workspaces. Workplaces mayfurther include soundproofing material in the barriers and/or ceiling tofurther buffer sound that is emitted from workspaces.

In other instances, workplaces use other methods to try to controlsounds transmitted between adjacent spaces. For example, many workspacesutilize noise generating systems to cover up or distort sound waves andnoises. Such systems frequently emit sounds designed to cover up or masksound generated by speech.

In still other workspaces, noise-cancelling systems are used to filteror cancel sound waves as they travel out of the vicinity of theworkspace. The sound canceling systems are typically designed to emitwhite noise at frequencies that should cancel out sound waves before thesound waves reach adjacent workspaces. The sound canceling systemstypically utilize a plurality of strategically located speakers (e.g.,above a doorway) and a controller that is designed to control the whitenoise in ways calculated to cancel sound.

While existing systems and techniques for reducing noise travel amongadjacent spaces work well in some applications, unfortunately knownsystems have several shortcomings. First, the option to place barriersbetween adjacent workspaces is not available in some cases where an openseating or workspace design is desired. Further, even where walls orother physical barriers can be used, such barriers often times do notblock all sound. In these cases, where a space user perceives that wallsare sound proof, the problems associated with high volume sound carryingfrom one space to another can be exacerbated as a space user may beencouraged to increase her volume in the “sound proof” space.

Second, where noise cancelling and generating systems are used, they aretypically utilized throughout an entire workspace in a blanket mannerand do not target noise levels near specific individuals or in specificworkspaces. As a result, the noise cancelling systems are ineffectivefor use with various levels of sound that travels between one space andadjacent spaces.

Third, persons within a space have no way of knowing if the volume oftheir voices or other sound generating devices within their spaces is ata level that can be heard from outside their spaces. In this case, wherea person believes a first space they occupy is sound proof, the personwill do nothing to temper the volume of her voice in the first spacepotentially resulting in disclosure of private information to otherspaces or a condition in which persons in adjacent spaces are at leastbothered by sounds emanating from the first space. In other cases, wherethe person in the first space believes that the first space is not soundproof, the person in the first space will likely over-react and keep hervoice and sounds in the space at an extremely low volume to avoidinadvertent disclosure or a bothersome condition for adjacent spaceusers. Unnecessary low volume can adversely affect intendedcommunication.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been recognized that the disadvantages associated with soundlevels in a workspace can be substantially overcome by providing a sounddetection and alert system that includes at least one sensorelectronically connected to an output signaling device. The sensor ispositioned in the vicinity of one or more individuals speaking within aspace and may be designed to monitor sound levels being transmittedthere from. The sensor transmits an electrical signal to the signalingdevice. The signaling device may include a visual display unit having alighting scheme designed to alert the individual(s) speaking of thelevel of sound being generated by speech or more generally to indicatethe level of sound being generated within a space associated with theindividual. The individual(s) speaking may then adjust the volume ofspeech or sound in the space in response to the lighting scheme in aneffort to reduce the volume of sound emanating from the space intoadjacent spaces.

Consistent with the above, some embodiments include an alert system forgenerating a signal indicating at least one aspect of sound within aworkspace environment, the system comprising at least a first sensorpositioned one of within and proximate a workspace, the at least a firstsensor sensing at least one aspect of sound generated within theworkspace and generating a signal indicating the at least one aspect, acommunication device located within the workspace, the communicationdevice configured to generate a signal perceivable within the workspaceand a processor receiving signals from the at least a first sensor andlinked to the communication device, the processor programmed to performthe steps of identifying when the at least one aspect exceeds athreshold value and driving the communication device to indicate thatthe at least one aspect exceeds the threshold value.

In some cases the at least one aspect of sound generated within theworkspace includes volume of the sound generated. In some cases the atleast one sensor is positioned within the workspace. Other embodimentsfurther include an interface usable to set at least the threshold value.

In some cases the communication device includes a display screen andwherein the interface is presented via the computer display screen. Insome cases the at least one sensor is positioned outside the workspace.In some embodiments the at least one sensor includes a first sensorlocated outside the workspace and at least a second sensor locatedwithin the workspace. In some embodiments the processor uses signalsfrom the first and second sensors to identify when the at least oneaspect exceeds the threshold value. In some cases the communicationdevice includes at least one illumination device that is illuminated toindicate that the at least one aspect exceeds the threshold value.

In some embodiments the communication device includes at least a secondillumination device, the processor further programmed to illuminate thesecond illumination device when the at least aspect is below thethreshold level. In some cases the communication device includes aplurality of illumination devices and wherein the processor isprogrammed to identify when the at least one aspect is within differentranges of values and to illuminate different subsets of the illuminationdevices to indicate that the at least one aspect is within the differentranges. In some cases each illumination device subset includes adifferent one of the illumination devices.

In some cases a first illumination device corresponds to a low soundlevel, a second illumination device corresponds to an intermediate soundlevel, and a third illumination device corresponds to a high soundlevel. In some embodiments the workspace is defined at least in part bypartition walls that separate the workspace from adjacent workspaces. Insome embodiments the workspace is a personal office space.

In some embodiments the office space includes at least one work surfacefor use by a space occupant and wherein the at least one communicationdevice includes a visual communication device that is mounted adjacentthe work surface for easy viewing by the space occupant at the worksurface. In some cases the workspace is a conference space. In somecases the workspace includes at least one partition wall and wherein theat least one sensor is mounted within the at least one partition wall.

Other embodiments include an alert system for generating a signalindicating at least one aspect of sound within a workspace environment,the system comprising a workspace including at least one furnitureartifact that encourages a space occupant to orient within the workspaceto face a first direction, at least a first volume sensor positioned oneof within and adjacent the workspace for sensing the volume of soundgenerated within the workspace and for generating a signal indicatingwhen the volume exceeds a threshold volume level and a visualcommunication device located within the workspace and within a field ofview aligned along the first direction, the communication deviceconfigured to generate a visual signal perceivable within the workspacewhenever the volume exceeds the threshold volume.

In some cases the communication device includes at least oneillumination device. In some cases the sensor is located within theworkspace. In some cases the furniture artifacts include at least onework surface having at least one edge for accommodating an occupant andwherein the communication device is spaced away from the at least oneedge and above the work surface.

These and other objects, advantages and aspects of the invention willbecome apparent from the following description. In the description,reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof,and in which there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention.Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of theinvention and reference is made therefore, to the claims herein forinterpreting the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a sound detection and visual alert systemincluding at least one sensor electrically connected to a visual displayunit that is consistent with at least some aspects of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of barriers that form external structure thatdefines a workspace that is consistent with at least some aspects of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of internal artifacts of the exemplaryworkspace shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a different embodiment of a sounddetection and visual alert system having a sensor in communication witha controller and a plurality of light-emitting diodes disposed in ahousing;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a single person telepresence system thatis consistent with at least some aspects of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a conference space floor plan showing sensorsand communication devices located in various public and semi-privatespaces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed below. It should be appreciated that in the development of anysuch actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project,numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness related constraints, which may vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

Referring now to the figures wherein like reference numerals correspondto similar elements throughout the several views and more specificallyreferring to FIG. 1, an exemplary sound detection and alert system 100includes at least one sensor 102, a controller or processor 106 and acommunication device 104. In at least some embodiments sensor 102 mayinclude an acoustic sensor designed to detect sound waves. A typicalacoustic sensor 102 measures one or more sound characteristics (e.g.,sound pressure levels) and converts the sound wave data into a signalindicating the characteristic. Sensor 102 may detect an objectivemeasure of sound such as a measurement of loudness of speech in decibelsor intensity. In one particular instance, the sensor 102 detectsfrequency in the range of that of a human voice. For example, the sensor102 preferably detects frequency in the range between about 20 Hz and20,000 Hz and may detect a band of frequencies within the larger range(e.g., 250 Hz to about 4,000 Hz).

Consistent with the discussion herein, one suitable sensor 102 for usein the sound detection and visual alert system 100 is a microphone. Inone instance, a suitable microphone is an electret condenser microphonethat includes, for example, an membrane, a metal electrode, and a fieldeffect transistor. In another instance, a sensor 102 includes amicrophone that detects changes in decibel level, which triggers a highpulse to be sent through a signal pin of the sensor 102. One suitablesensor 102 and associated microprocessor, for example, is the SoundImpact Sensor by Parallax, Inc. (Rocklin, Calif. ). Other useful sensorsfor use in the sound detection and visual alert system 100 includeelectrostatic sensors, piezoelectric sensors, and other sensors that arecapable of detecting sound produced by the human voice. Sensor 102 mayinclude a microphone that is provided for other purposes. For instance,microphone 102 may be provided as part of a larger telepresence systemalong with a telepresence camera (not illustrated) and a display screen(e.g., see 120 in FIG. 1) used to facilitate telepresence activity. Inother embodiments microphone 102 may be part of a conferencing phonesystem or may include a stand alone microphone or other sensor dedicatedto the sensing and alert system 100.

Sensor 102 may include one or more sensors 102 in some embodiments andsound from any one of multiple sensors 102 may be used to drive thealerting function of system 100. In other cases sounds sensed bymultiple sensors 102 may be processed to identify conditions required togenerate an alert signal.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, an exemplary workspace 300 is defined byboundaries 200 including a floor structure 210, walls 202, a ceiling 206and a door 204 which may close an egress. Furniture artifacts arelocated within workspace 300 including a credenza 208 that forms aworksurface and a computer including display 120 that is supported onthe worksurface. A chair 220 is provided within space 300 for a space300 occupant (see phantom 226 in FIG. 3).

Referring still to FIGS. 2 and 3, exemplary sensors 102 are shown invarious locations within space 300 or adjacent space 300. For instance,in FIG. 3, sensors 102 are shown mounted to or built into wallstructures 202 as well as resting on the worksurface 208 or mountedwithin worksurface 208. In FIG. 2, sensors 102 are shown mounted to orbuilt into external surfaces of walls 202, adjacent door 204 and withinceiling 206. Sensors 120 may further be built into or supported by otherstructure outside space 300.

Referring again to FIG. 1, processor 106 is designed to translate datacaptured by sensor 102 into an output signal which is in turn providedto device 104 to indicate a status of the signal generated by sensor102. Processor 106 may be integrated with sensor 102 into a singledevice, or may be separate there from. Processor 106 is programmed tomanage operational aspects of the overall sound detection and alertsystem 100.

In at least some embodiments, processor 106 includes operationalparameters used to characterize loudness or volume of sound detected bysensor 102. For example, the volume of sound being detected may beclassified as low, intermediate, or high. In one instance, the low soundlevel may be within a range between about 0 decibels to about 50decibels, the intermediate sound level may be within a range betweenabout 51 decibels to about 80 decibels, and the high sound level may bewithin a range between about 81 to about 120 decibels. In a differentinstance, the low sound level is between about 0 decibels to about 20decibels, the intermediate sound level is between about 21 decibels toabout 70 decibels, and the high sound level is greater than about 80decibels. In still a further instance, the low sound level is betweenabout 0 decibels to about 40 decibels, the intermediate sound level isbetween about 41 decibels to about 70 decibels, and the high sound levelis between about 71 decibels to about 120 decibels. The sound levelsprovided herein are guidelines, and the actual levels of sound may varyaccording to various parameters including the size of a workspace beingmonitored, other devices generating noise in the vicinity of theworkspace, and/or other environmental factors which can be consideredduring process or programming.

Referring still to FIG. 1, exemplary communication device 104 includes adisplay screen 120 that includes a visual indicator 110 presented on thescreen. The appearance of indicator 110 may be altered to indicatedifferent volume conditions or other sound characteristics monitored byprocessor 106. For instance, in some embodiments indicator 110 may becolored green to indicate a volume that is below a threshold volume atwhich sound is discernible from outside a space associated with sensor102 and may be colored red to indicate a relatively high volumeassociated with sound that is likely hearable from outside the space. Inother embodiments indicator 110 may be controlled to simply indicatewhen any sound is sensed by sensor 102. For instance, where a sensor 102is located in a space outside and adjacent or proximate a space in whichsound is being monitored, any sound picked up by sensor 102 that isattributed to the monitored space may be indicated via indicator 110.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 3, display 120 may be mounted within aconference or other space 300 associated with sensor 102 and juxtaposedwithin the space to be viewed by one or more space users.

In other cases, display 120 may be associated with a person's laptop, asmart phone, a pad type computing device or other device. In thisregard, see again FIG. 1 where a pad type computing device or smartphone 104 a is shown operating as a communication device where device104 a includes a display screen 120 a and an indicator 110 a on thescreen 120 a. Here, device 104 a may be used to download and run a soundsensing/alert application whenever in a space 300 where sensor 102 andprocessor 106 drive device 104 a in a wireless fashion using Bluetoothor some other wireless communication protocol.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in other embodiments a communication device104 b may include a light source 130 to indicate sound characteristics.Light source 130 may include a light bulb (not shown), one or morelight-emitting diodes (LEDs) 132 a, 132 b and 132 c, or otherillumination devices. Where device 104 b includes multiple LEDs or otherillumination devices, different LEDs or subsets thereof may be used toindicate different sound characteristics.

Referring to FIG. 4, at least some embodiments may include a housing 134in which a sensor 102, processor (not illustrated in FIG. 4 but seeagain 106 in FIG. 1) and output or communication device 130 are allhoused. Exemplary communication our output device 130 includes threeLEDs 132 a, 132 b and 132 c that together provide output signals toindicate different sensed sound conditions. For instance, in some casesa first LED 132 a may be illuminated green to indicate that the systemis operating properly and that the volume of sound being sensed is belowa threshold level at which the volume is too high. When the volumereaches a level within a range that may be too high but is still likelylow enough to not be discernible from adjacent spaces, a second LED 132b may be illuminated. When the volume of the sound sensed reaches alevel that is too high and that is likely to be heard in adjacentspaces, third LED 132 c may be illuminated to indicate that a personwithin the space should reduce the volume of sound generated in thespace.

In other cases one or more communication device LEDs may also becontrolled to indicate when volume of sound is too low for optimalcommunication. For instance, in the context of a telepresence system,when the voice of a space 300 occupant is below a lower thresholdoptimal for audio communication, one or more LEDs 132 a-132 c may beilluminated to encourage the occupant to speak up. Indications may bevia different LEDs or by changing the color of one or more LEDs.

In any of the configurations discussed herein, it is contemplated thatsystem 100 operating parameters may be set in several different ways.For example, as indicated above, where one or more sensors 102 arelocated outside a space 300 (see again FIG. 2), processor 106 may beprogrammed to indicate any sound having a volume greater than athreshold level. As another instance, where at least one sensor 102 islocated within a space 300 and at least one sensor 102 is locatedoutside the space 300, signals from both sensors may first be used toidentify and distinguish sound generated within space 300 from soundgenerated outside space 300 and second to identify any sound from withinspace 300 having a volume that exceeds a threshold level. To this end,processor 106 may be programmed to correlate sounds sensed within space300 with sounds sensed outside space 300 to discern sounds generated inspace 300 and may then process the correlated sound from outside space300 to identify an alert condition.

As another example, it is contemplated that a system 100 may be usedwith a specific type of wall and ceiling structure having knowndimensions and known sound blocking characteristics where at leastsensors 102 may be integrated into the structure at known locations. Inthis case, the processor 106 may be pre-programmed to indicate an alertwhen a specific set of sound characteristics occurs. For instance,Steelcase Inc. manufactures glass and other types of architectural wallstructures that can be used to configure barriered workspaces. In manycases these wall structures are configured in standard useconfigurations for specific applications. For instance, wall structuresmay be configured to provide a standard eight by ten foot office spacewith a specific set of furniture artifacts arranged in a specific way tosupport a single office occupant. In this case, because the wallstructures are known, sound absorbing characteristics may also be known.To this end, see FIG. 8 that includes glass and other walls 202 and aglass door 204 that form a telepresence space 402 for use by a singleoccupant to participate in a telepresence activity using a portablesmart phone 400. As illustrated, a stand or other support device 408 isprovided within space 402 to support device 400 in an optimalorientation to facilitate a telepresence activity. In FIG. 8, one soundsensor 102 is shown mounted to an internal surface of one of the walls.Here, a light panel 104 c is provided as a communication device wherebrightness or color of the light may be controlled by a processor toindicate volume alert conditions. Thus, panel 104 c may illuminate withwhite light to indicate a suitable volume below a threshold and thecolor of the light may be changed to be more red as volume increasesabove a threshold level. By building one or more sensors into the wallstructures or by locating one or more sensors at specific locations withrespect to the standard configuration, either volume thresholds can becalculated or the thresholds may be identified empirically for thestandard structure and used to program processor 106. Other standardspace configurations and sound thresholds are contemplated includingother size office spaces, different size conference rooms.

As still one other example, where at least one sensor 102 is locatedinside a space 300 (see again FIG. 2), after the space is configured, acommissioning procedure may be performed whereby a temporary sensor 102is located outside space 300 and is used to identify a volume sensed bythe sensor 102 within space 300 that correlates to a threshold volumesensed by the temporary sensor. After the correlated volume sensed bythe space 300 sensor is identified, that volume may be used by processor106 as the threshold value.

Other more complex commissioning systems may employ a speech recognitionengine to process sound sensed outside a space 300 to identify a highervolume required for recognizable speech to travel out of a space 300.Here it has been recognized that physical barriers like a wall operateas filters for certain frequencies of sound and therefore, even if soundcan be heard, often times words associated therewith cannot bediscerned. Thus, until an engine can recognize speech, volume may beincreased without affecting confidentiality.

In other cases a commissioning procedure may be more manual where aperson who installs a system 100 may control a sound generating devicewithin space 300 to increase volume while being located outside space300 and the person may manually perceive an automated voice recording asthe volume is increased and may manually select one or more volumethresholds for programming a processor 106.

As still one other example, referring again to FIG. 1, an interface 108for system 100 may be provided via screen 120 for selecting varioussound characteristics used by processor 106 to drive the alertingapplication. Exemplary settable parameters may include frequencies tosense, threshold volume levels to identify, a range of distance at whichspeech should be non-discernible, etc. Other parameters may includespace characteristics that processor 106 can use to calculate volumethresholds. For instance, space 300 dimensions may be specifiable, typesof barrier constructions (e.g., wall types, insulation types, whether ornot barriers are floor to ceiling, ceiling structures, etc.) may bespecifiable, etc.

In at least some embodiments, in addition to providing systems 100 inoffice spaces, conference spaces and other spaces in which formal andgenerally private communications occur, systems 100 or at leastcomponents thereof may also be provided within more public spaces suchas a public hallway outside conference spaces. In this case, referringto FIG. 6 that shows a conference space floor plan 450, sensors 102 inthe hallway or within adjacent more private spaces may be used to drivecommunication devices 104 b (see also FIG. 1) located in the hallway toindicate to persons in the hallway when volume in the hallway exceedsone or more thresholds. The indication should encourage persons in thehallway to reduce the volumes of their voices. Here, multiple sensors inprivate spaces may be used to identify hallway noise volume and to drivethe hallway communication devices 104 b. Other sensors in the privatespaces and in the hallway may be used to obtain sound volumes and todrive indicators in the private spaces. Thus, one or more sensors maydrive one or more communication devices and combinations of sensorsignals may be used to drive indicators in either private or publicspaces.

Referring again to FIG. 3, sensors 102 in at least some embodiments maynot be able to distinguish the voice of a space 300 occupant from othersound generated within space 300 such as, for instance, the voice of aremote person conferencing with the occupant via a speaker feature of aspace telephone 240. In this case a space occupant 226 would have torecognize via a communication device 104 b or a screen indicator 110that a speakerphone volume is too high and would then manually turn downthe volume to an appropriate level. In other embodiments processor 106may be linked to the speaker phone 240 or to other telepresenceequipment (e.g., a computer) and may automatically turn down the volumeof sound generated equipment to a level below a threshold.

In still other embodiments, the sound sensing/alerting method may be atleast substantially performed via a smart phone or other portable deviceused by a space occupant. In this regard, it has been recognized that asmart phone or other similar device includes all hardware required toperform a sensing/alerting process. Referring again to FIG. 3, after asensing/alerting application has been downloaded to a portable device104 a when a device user 226 brings device 104 a into a space 300,location of device 104 a may be triangulated or otherwise determined(e.g., via a sensor or indicator adjacent a space egress) and volume orother threshold values may be provided automatically to device 104 a viaa wireless access point 250 or the like where the threshold values arespecific to the space 300 occupied. Here, brief instructions mayinstruct the device use to place device 104 a at a specific locationsuch as in front of the occupant and within 3 to 5 feet of theoccupant's face. A device 104 a processor may then obtain sound signalsfrom a device microphone 102 a, process the sound to identify whenvolume exceeds a threshold value and indicate via an on screen indicator110 a or even a space mounted indicator 104 b when the value isexceeded.

In some embodiments furniture artifacts within space 300 may beconfigured to encourage a space occupant to orient toward acommunication device within the space during sound generatingactivities. For instance, in a personal space 402 used for telepresenceactivities as in FIG. 5, via a display screen, device 104 c may bemounted above and to the side of screen to be within the field of viewof a user facing the screen. In other cases such as a conference roomincluding a large conference table having a defining edge around whichconferees can gather communication devices (e.g., 104 b) may be mountedwithin the table top structure within a field of view associated withpeople about the top structure.

Referring again to FIG. 5, in still other embodiments, when a portabledevice 400 is associated with a space 402, device 400 may wirelessly(e.g., via an access point 250) or in a wired fashion link to variouscomponents within the space automatically so the other components canautomatically be used to enhance activities performed using device 400.For instance, in addition to sensor 102 and communication device 104 c,other space 402 components may include one or more speakers 410, a highdefinition larger display screen 412, a high quality camera 414 andother devices. Here, for instance, device 400 may be used to drive atelepresence activity where all the other components including sensor102 and device 104 c cooperate to enhance the overall experience.

In at least some cases where sensors 102 are located both inside andoutside a work space (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the system processor may beprogrammed to have an initial volume threshold driven by sound in thespace where the initial threshold volume level may be raised as thevolume of sound outside the space increases. Here, where there is noappreciable sound outside the space, the initial volume threshold levelmay be maintained and a communication device 104, 104 a, 140 b, etc.,may indicate when volume in the space exceeds the initial threshold.However, if there is a lot of noise outside the space, the initialvolume threshold may be raised to a different level calculated to resultin a case where the combination of sound deadening aspects of barriersand the sound outside the space should block any discernible speechoutside the space.

While communication devices 104, 104 a, 104 b are described as beingvisual, in other embodiments a device 104 may include a speaker forgenerating an audio alert or may include both audio and visualcomponents.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and have been described in detail herein.However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended tobe limited to the particular forms disclosed. Thus, the invention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the followingappended claims.

To apprise the public of the scope of this invention, the followingclaims are made:

What is claimed is:
 1. A personal space for telepresence activities using a portable device comprising: at least one wall structure supporting a worksurface; an interior sound sensor and a communication device coupled to an interior of the at least one wall structure; an exterior sound sensor coupled to an exterior of the at least one wall structure; and a processor in communication with the interior sound sensor, the exterior sound sensor, and the communication device, the processor adapted to corn pare the sound level inside the wall structure to a threshold level, and to provide a signal at the communication device when a sound level inside the personal space exceeds the threshold, and to adjust the threshold when a sound level exterior to the wall structure exceeds a second threshold value. 